Friday
Friday 7th February 2025.
February 6, 2025
The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino , expressed this Thursday, February 6, 2025, his surprise at the statement issued by the United States Department of State , which states that military vessels can transit without paying fees through the Panama Canal.
Mulino categorically rejected what he called a falsehood and warned that a diplomatic relationship based on misinformation is “intolerable.”
During his weekly press conference at the presidency, the president said: “Panama is not the first country in the world, but it is not the last either.” “In my book, bilateral relations between two friendly countries are not handled in that way,” he said.
At the beginning of the conference, Mulino revealed that he had spoken with the US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth , to whom he explained the constitutional and legal “impossibility” of modifying the Panama Canal tolls.
“The president does not have that power,” he stressed, citing Article 76 of the Organic Law of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), which establishes that neither the Government nor the ACP can exempt from the payment of tolls, fees or taxes for the use of the interoceanic waterway. He also recalled that Article 319 of the Political Constitution states that it is the Board of Directors of the ACP that sets the tolls, with the final approval of the Cabinet Council.
“I can do what I can do, but I am not going to break the Constitution under the pretext of anything or anyone. I understand the internal political problems that there may be in the United States, that is its internal policy. I have my own here too and I have to bear and live with them, but that does not mean I have to break the democratic rules to impose my desire, my will, my whim,” he emphasized.
Mulino insisted that the State Department’s statement does not reflect the reality of the conversations with the United States and regretted that this controversy had arisen: “I want to make very clear to the country my rejection of this statement from the State Department and I feel sorry because in reality, and I still believe that it can be done, the conversation with both Secretary Rubio and Secretary Hegseth yesterday was positive, it was positive. There are many more things that unite us, many more interests that unite us than some tolls for the Canal that also do not even reach 10 million dollars for a country like the United States.”
The president also clarified that he has not yet received confirmation of the phone call that, as announced this week, he would hold on Friday with his American counterpart, Donald Trump .
In response to the State Department’s statement, Mulino asked the Panamanian Foreign Ministry to disseminate through diplomatic channels the statement issued by the ACP on Wednesday, which denies the US government’s claim.
The Panama Canal denied that Panama had agreed to exempt US military vessels from payment, an announcement that came after the visit of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, amid pressure from President Trump.
Mulino said he instructed Panama’s ambassador in Washington, José Miguel Alemán, to take firm measures to deny this situation.
The president’s statement comes in a context of growing tension between Panama and the United States, after Trump insisted on the need to “regain” control of the Panama Canal, arguing an alleged Chinese influence on the interoceanic route.
Faced with this scenario, the Panamanian government announced the decision not to renew the cooperation agreement with China on the new Silk Road , among other measures.
The strong differences between the University of Panama (UP) and the National Police in recent days, which have led both to file complaints with the authorities, continue to increase.
The rector of the UP, Eduardo Flores , reported that this Thursday a plainclothes National Police officer entered the Harmodio Arias Madrid campus “under the pretext of finding out the whereabouts of students who have been accused of crimes against law enforcement officers,” following the protests last Friday, January 31.
According to the rector, this action, which “appears to be a police action,” was attempted without the authorization of the rector’s office, as established by the statute.
“We strongly denounce and condemn these police actions, which may violate the constitutional and legal autonomy of the university,” he said.
Flores said they will carefully evaluate the case to determine the possibility of filing a legal action against the National Police.
Recently, the University of Panama’s Directorate of University Rights filed a criminal complaint against the director of the Police, Jaime Fernández, for the alleged commission of the crime of abuse of authority.
This happened after police officers stormed the university premises.
According to the complaint, during a leaflet distribution by university students protesting the presence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Panama, a group of police officers approached the protesters and one of the officers pushed a student, which led to a scuffle between the youths and the police units. In the altercation, a student was hit by a police officer.
The police, for their part, reported that the officer was also injured, so they proceeded to report the protesters. As a result of this report, the police carried out a series of raids in the residences of the students who participated in the protest.
Panama and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed this Thursday, February 6, the third loan agreement for the continuation of the construction of Line 3 of the Panama Metro.
This new financing amounts to approximately 1,036 million dollars and seeks to strengthen connectivity between Panama City and the province of Panama Oeste, benefiting residents who travel between these areas on a daily basis.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman, and the JICA Resident Representative in Panama, Shohei Tada.
Also present were Kazuyoshi Matsunaga, Japanese ambassador to Panama; César Pinzón, general director of the Panama Metro; and the Vice Minister of Economy, Eida Sáiz.
Line 3 will be 26.7 kilometers long and have 14 stations, starting from the Albrook station, connecting with sectors such as Nuevo Chorrillo and reaching Ciudad del Futuro in Arraiján. It is estimated that more than 500,000 inhabitants of Western Panama will directly benefit from this project.
In March 2023, Panama signed a second agreement for a loan of up to $625.9 million for the construction of Line 3.
Previously, in 2016, the administration of former President Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) reached an agreement with Japan to finance up to $2.6 billion for the line.
The increase in passenger air traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean, which grew 14.4% in 2024 compared to the full year of 2023, according to figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), means that airlines require more pilots, cabin crew, aeronautical technicians and flight dispatchers, among other personnel.
Panama, with an air market that handled more than 19.2 million passengers at Tocumen International Airport alone, is one of the countries that requires more personnel to continue growing. Of the total number of passengers, Copa Airlines transported 17.1 million travelers.
Bolívar Domínguez, vice president of operations for Copa Airlines, said that this year the company plans to hire between 160 and 180 commercial pilots to add to its current staff of 1,385.
“At this moment, we have 1,385 pilots, with the intention, as I mentioned, of recruiting about 160 or 180 more pilots this year, so we would expect to end the year with practically 1,500 pilots,” said Bolívar.
The vice president of operations detailed the basic requirements to apply to be the airline’s first officer.
- Minimum experience: 350 flight hours.
- Required License: Commercial Pilot License.
- Required qualifications: Instrument flight qualification and multi-engine aircraft flight qualification.
- Selection process
Assessments:
Medical, technical and aptitude tests.
- Duration of the selection process: Approximately 2 months.
- Training in Copa: If selected, the training course lasts approximately 6 months.
The airline, through the Latin American Academy of Higher Aviation (ALAS), a non-profit aviation school, celebrated National Pilot Day (January 30) with the graduation of 27 new Panamanian commercial pilots who join the airline’s pilot staff. 11% of the graduating group are women, marking a significant step towards strengthening the role of women in the industry.
“ALAS is the fruit of Copa Airlines’ commitment to contribute to the educational advancement and specialized technical training of local talent. We are proud to celebrate National Pilot Day and the achievements of these young people who have completed their training.
The Association of Medical Students of the University of Panama (UP) issued a statement yesterday, Wednesday, February 5, 2025, in which it supports the application of the Basic Certification exam , considering it a guarantee of the fundamental knowledge that graduates of medical schools must possess to enter medical internships in the country.
However, the student organization points out that the minimum passing score, set at 41.5 out of 100 , is the lowest in the region and does not adequately reflect the excellence sought in the training of future doctors. Therefore, they urge that this standard be raised in order to strengthen medical education in Panama, ensuring that graduates have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide quality care and align with international standards.
The association also reaffirmed its position on the allocation of places for medical internships, emphasizing that these should be awarded based on the results obtained in said exam.
Basic certification is established by Law 43 of July 21, 2004, which regulates the requirements for practicing medicine in Panama. According to this law, all physicians must present a basic professional competence certification in order to obtain the qualification to practice in public and private health institutions.
For national graduates, the exam costs $130, while the certificate costs an additional $35. For foreign doctors, the exam costs $250, while the cost of the certificate remains the same. In addition, the test can be taken repeatedly until the minimum score is achieved to obtain a place in an internship.